Improvement in velocipede



14.1. FERGUSON.

Velocipede.

No. 88,151. Patented March 23, 1869.

@mim I WW mine-S566 itd t saw gateut HENRY J. FERGUSON, OF WHITING, JERSEY.

Letters Patent No. 88,151, dated March 23, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IiN' VELOCIPEDE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all 'whom' it mtg concern.-

invented a new and-useful Improvement on the Velocipede; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l is a perspective top view.

Figure 2 is a perspective side view.

Figure 3 is a perspective rear view.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the levers, handles, and pillars which confine them to the frame.

. Figure 5 is a perspective side view of the, same, with one pillar removed.

The same letters refer to the same parts throughout.

S is the seat of the rider, placed on an arm of the lever l.

h h are handles, keyed to the shaft on which the levers Z l are keyed.

Z is a lever, with a free movement on the shaft, between the eyes of the levers Z l.

G is a connecting-rod, connecting the lever l with the centre-crank of the shaft S.

l lare levers, operated by handles, h h.

0' O are connecting-rods, connecting the levers Z Z with the two outside cranks of the shaft S, at opposite points to that grasped by connecting-rod O.

S" is the driving-shaft, and

D are the driving-wheels, fastened thereon.

S t are stirrups, or foot-rests, with strap running over the roller 1*, which is fastened upon the shaft S.

P P are pillars, resting upon the frame ff.

f f is the frame, bent at its rear end, S p, for the pur- .pose of forming a spring, and divided, or forked, so as to rest upon the shaft S", as near the wheels D as possible.

T is a T- shaped sleeve.

1) b are bevel-segments, one fastened upon shaft S, and the other upon a king-bolt, or pivot, projecting up through the wheel W.

S S S are stanchions, resting upon the axle of the guide-wheel G, and terminating above in the rim, or wheel W, which is the support of the front and corresponding part of the frame ff, or, in other words, the fifth-wheel of the carriage.

P b secures one end of the shaft S, the other end being secured in the sleeve T.

I contemplate the propriety, under some circumstances, of lengthening the axle grasped by the lower ends of the stanchions S S S, and placing a wheel oneach end thereof, instead of the one guide-wheel shown in the drawing.

The operation of the machine is as follows, viz: .The rider takes his seatat S, with a hand on each handle, it h, and his feet in the stirrups, S t, their straps being of an even length, and the guide-wheel G consequently in line with the other wheels for straightforward motion. The seat S is supposed to stand at the highest point of its movement. The handles it h are, of course, outside of each thigh, and are depressed to their lowest point of movement. Theweight of the person, being tested at S, will tend to depress the arm of the lever I, which lever, acting through the connecting-rod G, will tend to drawforward the crank of the shaft S, the pin of which it grasps. As this. motion proceeds, theconnecting-rods O O necessarily give a backward motion to the levers l l, and an upward one to the handles h h.

So far, the-movement, as described, is given byweight alone, but the upward movements of the handles-h It may be assisted by a lifting-action of the arms of the rider, thus contributing something of muscular force to the work being done, not only without discount from the whole effect of the weight of the person resting upon the seat S, but with a positive and useful addition thereto.

The seat S, having been depressed to its lowest limit, and the handles 71. h having been elevated to their highest limits, a reversal of movements is next in order.

More or less of the weight of the body being thrown upon the arms of the rider and the handles h h, and hisbody being more or less lifted by the proper use of the muscles of the legs, 8.70., the tendency will be for the handles it h to be depressed, and the seat S, and its arm of the lever l, to be elevated.

This elevation of the seat S may be aided by confining the person of the rider to the seat S, in which case also, when required, the weight of the body, thrown upon the handles 'h h, will be assisted by so much of the .muscular power, this time of the legs, 8w, as is put forth in excess of that required to lift that fraction of the weight of the body, if any, which the arms are not called upon to support, or sustain.

This confining may be done in several ways, but probably best byconnecting some slightly-elastic material, as leather, rubber, or heavy and strong elastic, with the seat, by means of books, eyes, or a suit able loop, or strap, running under the seat, easily cast free, and extending the same to the shoulders of the rider, say, under' the clothing, in suspender-fii-shion, making sure to so spread and shape the material as to leave therespiratory apparatus free while making use of the enormous burden-bearin g power of the shoulders.

Having made the above-described movements, the levers, &c., have arrived at the points occupied at starting, but the velocipede has been propelled a distance equal to the circumference of the driving-wheels, and may be so propelled as often as the movements described shall be repeated.

The amount of force had to resolve into speed upon the road, or weight carried thereon, will be in proportion to the weight of the rider, together with the muscular force of arms and legs expended, less a small amount forfriction.

The machine is guided or turned in its course, by a suitable maintenance or variation of the pressure of the feet, not necessarily great in amount, upon the stirrups S t.

An even bearing thereon will secure movement in a straight line. Pressure upon either side, ,in excess of that upon the other, will cause curvilinear motion from the side on which the pressure is exerted, and permit the body to be inclined inwardly, or toward the centre of the circle, or segmentof a circle being described, thus counteracting the centrifugal tendency of .both the rider and the machine.

Other seat or seats, levers, and handles, may be similarly attached to the rock-shaft, resting in P, and the eye of the lever l, in front of the one shown and described; or fixed seats may be provided, either in front or in rear of the same, for the convenience of additional riders, with or without stirrups. So, also, may receptacles be provided, whereby considerableweights may be carried, for purposes of peace or war, without lessening the number of riders.

The saddled arm of the lever l may be divided longitudinally between the seat and the eye, or hearing, and

bowed, or curved in such away as to permit a lady to operate the machine, without sitting astride, the shaft S being, in that case, shortened.

Having described my improved velocipede, and its method of operation, I would state that I neither, claim the velocipede, nor the method of propelling it by levers, actuated by hands or feet, legs or arms, broadly, nor, broadly, guiding it by the feet; but

\Vhat I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The saddled, or seated lever, for the purposes named.

2. The combination of the saddled, or seated lever with the ,handled levers, in the manner and for the purposes named.

3. The combination of stirrup and strap, roller, shaft, and bevel-segments, in the manner and for the purposes named.

in the manner and HENRY J. FERGUSON. Witnesses:

JAS. A. SKILToN, I. E. VVA'LTER. 

